His voice is rougher than I remembered, a bit more weathered, but at the same time, it’s comforting, and he’s right… I am home.
“You trying to steal my girl?” Axton’s voice booms from behind me.
Shocker lifts his head and takes a step back, his gaze flicking behind me, his lips curved up into a grin. “Boy, if I wanted her, I’d have her. I wouldn’t have to steal shit. She would come a runnin’.”
“Yeah?” Axton asks, although it sounds like he’s trying to bite back a laugh.
I don’t blame him. The conversation is funny. Shocker probably could have any woman chase after him. He’s charismatic, charming, and handsome even at his age. Axtonchuckles, slipping his arm around my waist before he tugs me closer to his side.
“Get your own woman. Millie’s taken.”
Shocker lifts his hands, his palms facing us as if he’s surrendering. Axton changes the subject and introduces Heidi to Shocker and the rest of the guys walking around. I recognize some of their names. Others are new, and then, of course, the prospect behind the bar is new.
“Let me get you girls a bed. You’ve got to be exhausted,” Axton murmurs.
I don’t get the chance to ask him if Heidi and I are going to be sharing a bed or if I’m going to be sharing his bed. He tugs me behind him and forges ahead. I know exactly where we’re headed: the hallway that leads to the living quarters. When he stops in front of a door, my breath hitches because I know it’s his.
“This is our room, Mill, but if you want to stay with Heidi until I can join you, for comfort reasons, you’re more than welcome.”
Tears fill my eyes. They don’t fall, but I swear my entire body melts into a pile of goo. How did I ever think that this man didn’t love me? Clearly, he is falling all over himself with feelings. I mean, they’re a bit buried, but they are right here in front of me.
Turning to face him, I tilt my head back slightly to look into his eyes, and my lips curve up into a grin. “When did you become a sweet, sensitive teddy bear?”
His lips twitch, but he doesn’t flash me a full smile. It’s there, though, and the way his eyes look into mine, the softness, the care… It’s there. I can also tell there is worry behind his gaze. I don’t blame him. What happened to me is not for the faint of heart, but at the same time, it could have been so much worse.
“I’m alive,” I whisper.
He grunts and lowers his face, and then I feel his lips touch mine, but he doesn’t deepen the kiss. Those lips move against my own as he speaks, and his words send a thrill of desire up my spine.
“Get some rest,” he says. “You’re gonna need it.”
Axton takes a step backward, then, as if he didn’t just send my entire body into orbit, he walks past me. He starts pointing out things to Heidi, like where the bathroom is, where the guest room is, and where she’ll be staying. I’ll apparently be sleeping with her for a few hours.
“There’s a lock on the door. Feel free to lock it, but not a single person will fuck with you.”
“Thank you, Axton,” Heidi murmurs.
He dips his chin, but I can tell he hasn’t figured her out yet. That’s okay, because I haven’t either. What happened today was wild. It’s beyond anything I could have ever dreamed up, and I think I need to sleep for a few hours before I attempt to process it and before I ask any questions.
We walk into the room, and Axton wordlessly closes the door behind us. Neither of us makes a move to lock the door or even go to bed. We just stand in the middle of the room, frozen.
I’m not sure what to say, and I have a feeling she’s the same. “I’m tired,” I whisper.
“Me too.”
Silently, we decide that a conversation isn’t happening. I don’t even change out of my sweatpants. Dropping everything in my hands, purse and phone included, I walk over to the bed and crawl on top.
Heidi flips the light switch off and joins me. The moment my head touches the pillow, I am out. Completely asleep. A bomb could go off, and I would hear absolutely nothing. Not a single thing. My body, my mind, and my soul are completely and totally exhausted.
PIGGY
“What happened at the house?” I ask.
Bullet and Lightning are leaning back in their chairs. We’re sitting in the conference room where we hold church. The walls are littered with tokens of the past, of the club and the men who started it. I don’t look at those. My focus is on my president, Lightning, and Ivy.
“Initial thought was a murder-suicide, but you guys kind of fucked us up with the way you shot them,” Bullet begins.
That’s true. I should have made him eat my gun. That actually would have been kind of great anyway. Next time, next asshole, that’s the plan. It wasn’t something that crossed my mind at the time. I was so focused on him being dead that’s all I could think about.
